Marin Marais

Marin Marais (31 May 1656 – 15 August 1728) was a French composer and viol player. He studied composition with Jean-Baptiste Lully and occasionally conducted Lully’s operas. He also studied for six months with Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, a noted bass viol player. In 1676, Marais joined the royal court of Versailles as a musician and in 1679 was appointed ordinaire de la chambre du roy pour la viole, a position he held until 1725. He was the father of composer Roland Marais (c. 1685 – c. 1750).